A Sunday Smorgasbord

Featuring an interview with the lovely Louise Tilbrook

• ☕ Le Petit Cafe, Edinburgh. Starting you off this week with a hot tip that’s perfect if you’re joining the hundreds of thousands of people who make their way to Edinburgh over the summer, to enjoy the various Festivals and events that take place. Le Petit Cafe, on Morrison Street (just off Lothian Road, near Tollcross and the Meadows) is a fantastic cafe run by a French couple who opened it in the autumn of 2020. The menu mainly consists of galettes and crepes, with a special of each every month (this month’s galette special involves pesto and sundried tomatoes - it was delicious) - but what makes this cafe really special is the attention to detail. The space is simply furnished but always sparkling clean, and the pancakes are beautifully plated. And they always fully commit to seasonal decorations. Check out their Instagram and TripAdvisor pages for more.  

• 📚 Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. Trust me to read last summer’s it book a year later. In my defence, my mum had my copy for a good few months… I ended up devouring this in the space of a weekend, pulled along by Bonnie Garmus’s dry tone and cheering protagonist Elizabeth Zott on as she fights the norms of 1960s California, not out of any strongly held ideology, but because they simply don’t make sense to her. The ‘packaging’ aspect of this book is interesting too - in the US the cover is very pink, with a close-up of Elizabeth’s face, while in the UK we get a much more mid-century-modern vibe, with the television show (even if it does fall into the trope of being a historical novel cover featuring a picture of a faceless woman); I think this difference might go some way to explaining why I saw so many North American readers surprised by the darker aspects of the story (there’s a trigger warning for sexual assault). If you too have held out this long, the good news is, this book is now out in paperback.   (Bookshop.org | Amazon - affiliate links) .

  

•  🎶 Barbie memes. I haven’t seen the film yet - but what I have seen are a tonne of hilarious Barbie-based memes and takes on the ‘She’s everything - he’s just Ken’ ads. Books With Ruby did a fantastic instagram post reimagining book covers with Barbie and Ken (my favourite might be Red, White & Royal Blue), and I enjoyed Neat Burgers’ take on climate-friendly behaviours with Barbie and Ken.

  

This week, my ‘back pages interview’ series returns, featuring the lovely Louise Tilbrook. Louise is a Knitter, knitting pattern designer and blogger. She’s owned by cats and is never without a cup of strong coffee to hand.

Louise has a range of gorgeously elegant patterns for socks, shawls, and other knitted accessories. You can find them on her website - just scrolling through makes me feel cosy (on this surprisingly chilly July day!) Read on to get to know her, and see how she achieved the impossible: telling me a cheese joke I hadn’t heard before.

Louise’s Colour Block Mitts design and knitting pattern

Where are you, right now?

Curled up in my knitting nook, cat on my feet and a mug of coffee in my hand. I live near Saffron Walden (just south of Cambridge) with my husband, two teenage boys and two cats so I guard my space and peace zealously.

What’s your ideal weekend day?

I could probably answer this with ‘see above’ as I’m a bit of a homebody really. That being said I am partial to a bit of a mooch around town on market day - Saffron Walden has a fab twice-weekly market - and a visit to my favourite coffee shop.

What’s your favourite underrated food?

Fish and chips - with mushy peas. Food of the Gods but it has to be cooked properly and not greasy. (I knew you were a kindred spirit! Hard agree here.)

What is the book or film that made you you?

The Tales of the City series by Armistead Maupin. I devoured these as a student and they made a real lasting impression on me.

What’s the last book that you read and can’t stop talking about? 

Emma Gannon’s The Success Myth - I keep recommending it to everyone. There are so many truths and ‘aha moments’ in there.

What’s the under £15 luxury item you’d recommend to everyone?

Opi Nail Cuticle Oil, I’ve used it for years and it’s never let me down.

Do you have an album or a podcast you’d like to recommend?

I’m a huge fan of the Hashtag Authentic podcast by Sara Tasker.

You've heard of a 'fantasy dinner party'; now what's your fantasy biscuit barrel/ cookie jar? Six biscuits/cookies, for the rest of your life, in unlimited quantities.

Jaffa cakes - controversial I know with the whole ‘is it a biscuit, is it a cake’ question.

Ginger Border biscuits

Chocolate chip cookies

Custard creams

Jammy dodgers

Iced party rings

What is something that everyone else has done but you?

Probably a lot of things but travelling and a gap year springs to mind. I never really had the urge to travel that much - I really am a homebody.

Do you have a favourite Dad Joke?

Did you hear about the cheese factory that exploded? De-brie went everywhere.

Inspired by Kendra Adachi/ The Lazy Genius, what’s saving your life right now?

My journal - I write everything down in an attempt to keep organised. Everything from random thoughts, blog posts, shopping lists and existential angst moments - it all goes in there.

Speak soon,

Lily

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